SERMON: "ABUNDANT LIFE IN CHRIST" (Jhn. 10:10; Rom. 8:1-2)

Let's look at the first part of that verse (Jhn. 10:10): "The thief cometh not..." Satan is REAL; He is not some fairy tale, and he is indeed OUT to steal, to kill, and to destroy. That is his JOB, and he does his job verrrry well! However, Satan is not your real problem; It is "yourSELF and SIN". "SIN" gives Satan the legal right... to do you ... HURT. He is your "adversary", as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour (1 Pet. 5:8). I mean, just turn on your tv to the news each day, to see his "handiwork", his DESTRUCTION of peoples' lives. Look around you, in your daily life, on your job, at the people you know, and you can see what Satan DOES as a cruel task-master to hold them in bondage and deteriorate their lives. Again, he is able to do this through a person's.... SIN; More specifically, a sin NATURE. You take any person, anyone at ALL; And it don't matter how nice that person seems to be; If you press the right button, that SIN nature will come squirting out, like ketchup. Let's look for a moment, at that "sin nature ketchup" (so-to-speak). * Turn to Gal. 5:19-21* Okay, notice in verse 21, it says "and such like". And so... there's more, so much more. It is a world of "darkness", and darkness is SATAN'S domain. You really don't wanna BE there, friend. He hates your guts.
Reader, you will be left with two choices. Choice #1) You allow yourself to be DRIVEN by "self", Satan, and sin.... to your DESTRUCTION. Or, choice #2) which is the second part of John 10:10, where Jesus says, "I AM COME THAT THEY MIGHT HAVE L-I-F-E, AND THAT THEY MIGHT HAVE IT M-O-R-E
A-B-U-N-D-A-N-T-L-Y." Oh hallelujah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Okay, let's go to that next scripture passage- Romans 8:1-2. Notice that one common phrase in each verse there... "IN CHRIST JESUS". This phrase "IN CHRIST JESUS", or one of it's derivatives ('in Christ", "in Him", "in Whom", "in the Beloved", "in the Light", etc.) is found many, many times in the new testament epistles. It was Paul the Apostle's favorite concept, signifying THIS: Our whole life is enveloped... in HIS (Christ's), through repentance of sin and faith exclusively (EXCLUSIVELY!) in Christ and His Blood Sacrifice on the CROSS for ALL RIGHTEOUSNESS THAT WE POSSESS. For you see, friend, NONE of us have any righteousness on our part that measures up to the perfect HOLINESS... of GOD. Our works, through trying to keep the "law" of God, His ten commandments, are as... "filthy rags" (Isa. 64:6).
In Rom. 3:23, we find an all-inclusive statement about the condition of mankind: "ALL have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." Consequently, all are under the dominion of the sin nature, and... "the thief" - Satan. Ahhh, but there is GOOD NEWS for those who are willing to give up "self" and "pride". ... GOOD NEWS for those who are ... enlightened to the fact that under "law-keeping" (which includes any system of do's and dont's) they cannot measure up to God's standards. For this "good news", turn to Gal. 4:4-7. NO MORE a "servant", but a "son", or a "daughter". Oh hallelujah!!!! You see, under self and satan, you ARE a "servant"; But "IN CHRIST", you are God's child, and privy to all the rights and privileges and BLESSINGS of being a child of... the Owner of the universe!!!. AHHH, DO YOU BELIEVE?!
Turn to Jer. 17:9-10.
Friend, your HEART is the key. I said.... the "HEART". No, not your physical "organ" which pumps your blood. YOUR INNERMOST BEING, WHO YOU "ARE. What makes you "tick", what "motivates" you to do the things that you do.
You see... this is what GOD looks at (see 1 Sam. 16:7; 1 Ki. 8:39; 1 Chron. 28:9; 29:17; Psa. 7:9; Jer. 11:20; 17:10; 20:12; Jhn. 2:24-25; Acts. 1:24; Rom. 8:27; Rev. 2:23). You can fool a lot of PEOPLE; You can even fool yourSELF (your mind and thoughts); But... you cannot fool GOD! He is the One Who "made" you, Who "formed" you in your mother's womb. He has seen your life from day one. No, there is no fooling God, my friend.
Turn to Psa. 139:1-13, and read that passage.
You see that? God KNOWS. He knows A-L-L about you, all those "secret" things you have done, or are doing, which you don't think anyone KNOWS about. But HE does. Wherever you are, wherever you go, GOD shall be there, seeing and knowing. HE is the One you will need to please in order to escape... from.... "the thief". But you can only please Him in one Way. And that Way is by being "IN HIS SON", JESUS, Who said "I AM the Way, the Truth, and the Life; No man cometh unto the Father, but by ME. " -(Jhn. 14:6). You see, you need to be "in Him", because HE is the only One Who HAS pleased God the Father in every way, because He was... SINLESS. And guess what? You... are not :). Neither am I, or... ANYONE else, for that matter!
THERE ARE NO GOOD WORKS THAT YOU CAN DO TO PLEASE GOD FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS.
So.... just get that mentality out of your mind. You "going to church next Sunday" does not please God; Your "praying" does not please God; Your ..."studying the Bible" cannot please God; Your.... "giving a tithe" does not please God; Your.... "giving money to charitable organizations... does NOT PLEASE GOD. It doesn't? No. Why? Because that's YOUR righteousness. And God is only pleased with His Son JESUS
(* Turn to Matt. 12:18-21).
Ahhh, in His Name shall the Gentiles trust. Do... YOU trust in Him and His Name for ALL RIGHTEOUSNESS?
(* Turn to Philip. 3:9).
Are YOU "in Him" today? Or do you hardly "think" about Him? To be "IN" something means to be "INSIDE" of it. Just like... when you are "IN" your house or apartment. It "envelopes" you; It "surrounds" you, correct? Does CHRIST "surround you? Does He "envelope" you"? This means giving your whole LIFE to Him, friend; He cannot just be an "accessory". He is an "all-or-nothing" God. ....a "hot-or-cold" type of God (see Rev. 3:15-18). Either you are alll the way FOR Him, or all the way AGAINST Him. You need.... to "choose".

FOR vs. AGAINST.

Okay, so Christ is the "Way" or the "Source" of being right with God and having abundant Life, but the CROSS (I said the CROSS) is the "Means". And by the term "Cross", I do not mean "the wooden beams". I mean the "Blood Sacrifice Price" that Jesus paid there to justify AND SANCTIFY you of your sins. Christ's "burial" in the tomb was necessary, and His "resurrection" RATIFIED this Sacrifice.
Read very carefully the following scripture passages:
* Isa. 53 (whole chpt.)
* Jhn. 1:29
* Rev. 12:10-11
Now, this "accuser of the brethren" here, is none other than "the THIEF"- Satan. And HOW is he overcome by us? By... the good things we DO? Or .... by the bad things we AVOID? No, by.... THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB, which speaks of our faith in Christ's Blood Sacrifice (IE: "THE CROSS") for A-L-L Righteousness.
And here is a "biggie": This Blood is extremely PRECIOUS to God the Father. it is not a good luck charm, not a formula, not a magic word or principle to keep you on the road to heaven. It signifies that your are God's "possession", meaning you are INDEED "IN His Son, "surrounded" my Him, "enveloped" by Him; Which also means that your heart, your very inner being and motives, belong to HIM, and not... to yourSELF. If you are NOT willing to yield your whole heart over to Him, God then says "no deal"... no... deal. This is a sobering CHOICE, my friend, and I am going to close by giving you two sobering scripture passages:

(13) "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leaadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: (14) Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto Life, and few there be that find it." -(Matt. 7:13-14)

(34) And when He had called the people unto Him with His disciples, He said unto them, Whosoever will come after Me, let him DENY HIMSELF, and take up the Cross, and follow Me. (35) For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for My sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it. (36) For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul: (37) Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? (38) Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of Me and of My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when He cometh in the glory of His Father with the holy angels." -(Mark 8:34-38)

You... like I said before... are either FOR Him all the Way, with CHRIST being your Lord, and your faith for righteousness being exclusively in His Blood Sacrifice, OR...
You are AGAINST Him all the way, with yourSELF being your OWN lord, and Satan the thief and accuser DRIVING you... to destruction.

Won't you give your entire life this day TOTALLY to Him, my friend, no MATTER what any person thinks? You can never please people totally ANYWAY, right?

Pray this prayer with me if you are willing to commit (or re-commit) your entire life over to the LORD:
"Father, I have sinned against You and You alone. Please forgive me of my sins, wash me and cleanse me in the shed Blood of Your Son Jesus Christ. I now confess with my mouth that JESUS is my LORD, and that He died on the Cross for me. With my heart, I BELIEVE that You raised Him from the dead. I will now CONTINUE to place my trust exclusively in HIS Righteousness through His Blood Sacrifice. Help me to do this each day, that I may "overcome to the end" on Your "narrow Path of Life", until the day that I meet you face to face. In JESUS' Name, Amen.

HE LOVES YOU! GOD BLESS, MY FRIEND!